Aug. 27, 2004

ATHENS, Greece - Former Army track and cross country star Capt. Anita Allen (USMA 2000) placed 18th in the modern pentathlon at the Olympics Friday in Athens, Greece. Allen, 26, won the riding discipline and earned a total of 4,996 points. In 28th place after three events, Allen jumped 10 spots in the standings over the final two disciplines. She began her come-from-behind effort in the riding competition, where she tied for first, earning 1,172 points out of a possible 1,200. She followed up that effort with a 10th-place showing in the 3,000-meter run, clocking a time of 11 minutes, 9 seconds. Allen started the pentathlon by placing 22nd in the shooting competition. She hit two "center tens" and garnered 952 points. In fencing, she went 12-19 versus the rest of the 32-person field and accumulated 720 points toward her total. From the fencing venue, the competitors moved to the pool. Allen, who touched the wall in a time of 2:31.16 in the 200-meter freestyle event, picked up 1,108 points by finishing 29th. The Star City, Ind., native participated in the World Class Athlete Program (WCAP) following graduation. Allen was one of the first Americans to qualify for the Olympics, winning the modern pentathlon at the 2003 Pan American Games. Allen and Capt. Dan Browne (USMA 1997) are two of 18 Army soldiers representing Team USA at the XXVIII Olympiad. Browne, who finished 12th in the 10,000-meter run, is set to compete in the marathon on Sunday, the final day of the games.